HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 04.bOperations & Maintenance
November 2010
❖ Winter Preparations
LAKEVILLE OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
Christopher Petree, Director
November 2010
Real winter comes far too early to some parts of
the country. For those holding tenaciously to
warm late fall temperatures, Minnesota is one of
those places. In anticipation of the annual bout
of cold and snowy weather, the Streets Division
staff was active in early November getting trucks
ready With plows and sanders and getting
training on vehicle handling and driving
techniques. Annually, the City sends staff from
the Streets, Utilities, and Parks Maintenance
Divisions to Dakota County Technical College to
participate in a driving course for snowplow
operators. Using our own vehicles, the operators
get an opportunity to put them through their
paces in driving a serpentine course,
controlling a skid, and traffic
avoidance maneuvers. Each
segment of the course is oriented to
familiarize the operators with the
capabilities and limits of the vehicle in
situations that test both judgment
and reaction times. These driving
courses have proven beneficial in
providing a controlled learning
opportunity for new staff and adding
to the skill set of more experienced —._
drivers. Changes in equipment types do change the capabilities and
characteristics of the snowplow. The Operations & Maintenance Department
continues to look for suitable training venues to provide staff opportunities to
increase their confidence and ability to handle snowplows and improve the
safety of snow and ice control operations.
• Holiday Lights
Grant Program administered
• Pressure Reducing Valve Station Abandonment
Because of different elevations throughout the
City, water pressure fluctuates. To compensate
and allow for the distribution of water
throughout the City, the City is divided into
high and low pressure zones. At the
connection points between the zones, the City
has established pressure reducing valves (PRV)
to allow the movement of water between the
two zones. One of these PRVs, which was
installed in the early 70s and taken out of
service in the mid -80s, began to leak as the
valves started to deteriorate. To ensure that it
did not become a recurring problem, Utilities
Division staff located and uncovered the PRVs
connection to the water main. They then cut
the piping connection between the main and
The Streets Division installed new
holiday wreaths in mid - November.
The new wreaths are a significant
change from those used in previous
years. They are much lighter and
easier to handle for the person in the
aerial bucket attaching them to the
light poles. Serendipitously, the ease
of install has allowed a reduction in
staff assigned to the task.
Additionally, they use light emitting
diodes (LED) in place of the
incandescent bulbs in the old
wreaths. This is expected to do
two things for the City, use much
less electricity over the course of
the season, since LED lights are
y more efficient and require less
power, and have a longer service
life, since LEDs do not burn out as
frequently as incandescent bulbs.
Purchase of the new wreaths was
through a federally funded Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Block
by the Department of Energy.
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the PRV and installed a plug at the
main. With the installation of the
plug, the PRV station has been
completely isolated from the
distribution system and should no
longer be an area of potential leaks.
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